Forgive me for dropping at that precise sentence. But Avery’s story is coming very soon: Earl of Infamy! And Vanity and Gabriella’s is coming as well: Viscount of Vanity! Last in the series will be Laird of Longing, and that is the girls’ cousin, Ewan, who did not make an appearance in this book. He’s a bit elusive.

Thanks so much for reading. I can’t wait to share these last few stories with you!

Viscount of Vanity

Lords of Scandal

Miss Gabriella Winston peeked through the curtain separating the chapel from the nave and surveyed the twenty or so men who sat in the pews. One of them was about to be her husband.

Over the past few days, she’d wracked her brain to see if she’d ever heard of such an event happening. She’d heard of a few husbands auctioning off their wives, but did fathers actually sell their daughters to settle their debts? Hers did.

Gabriella brushed back a lock of her near black hair and shifted on her feet, nervous butterflies flitting all about her belly.

She knew the situation was bad when debtors had come calling in the middle of the night, a month prior. It wasn’t the first time this sort of thing had happened and she’d known to hide herself away in the cupboard. But she’d heard everything. They’d beat her father terribly, an already frail man thanks to his hard living and heavy drinking.

She’d nursed him back to health, of course. She’d been taking care of him most of her life. But she’d noted a look in his eyes that was different from the past. She could only describe it as…assessing.

That had been her first inkling that her life was about to take a turn for the worse.

She twiste

d her hands.

Last week, her father had announced it was time for her to start her new life. She’d stopped scrubbing the floor and had sat up on her knees. Anything new would be good. “How so?” she’d asked.

He’d stared down at her. “You’re lucky, Gabs. You’re beautiful. Some man will surely want you.”

Her rag had dropped to the floor.

She’d stopped begging her father years ago. No amount of pleading ever got her toys or treats or even food if he’d spent all his money on some bet or whisky. In fact, she’d learned that asking for things only irritated him. But she’d pleaded then. Let her choose a man. The butcher had shown interest…

Her father had grown hard. And with a box to her ears, he’d informed her he needed far more than what a butcher could provide.

She’d known then that there was no getting out of this…

She pressed a hand to her stomach as she stared at the growing crowd.

Mr. Sharpe, the butcher, was there. She saw him in the back. Would he bid? Hope fluttered inside her stomach. While she didn’t love the man by any stretch, he was good and honest and she’d be cared for in the match. Of that she could be certain.

She scanned the rest of the crowd. Some of the men looked all right. Clean at least, not too old. But others…

Nervous fear prickled along her skin.

The priest came down the center aisle, smiling at several of the men. He was sweating a bit, despite the cool day, his face puffy and his eyes rimmed with red. Clearly, he still recovered from a night of heavy drinking. She recognized the signs. She’d grown up with them her entire life.

Her father walked just behind the other man, his eyes equally blurry. The two were great friends. She didn’t know what that said about the priest that his closest compatriot was a drunken gambler.

But she knew he’d agreed to help her father. Normally this sort of event would take place in the town square but the weather was still frigid and there was always the possibility of rain. Having the auction here insured the event happened no matter what the weather and her father got the largest bride price for his efforts.

She let the curtain fall again.

Gabriella could run… slip out the back and disappear into the English countryside. But where would she go? What would happen to her?

Still, it might be worth it. What if she ended up tied to a beastly man?

This morning she’d met a lovely woman who’d promised to help. A baroness, Gabriella’s heart raced at the idea.

The baroness had been with a man, not her husband, but her husband’s friend.

Tags: Tammy Andresen Lords of Scandal Historical
Source: readsnovelonline.net